COVID Cases Tick Upward in Park County’s Young and Healthy

Park County’s COVID count continues to crawl upward.

The COVID-19 counter in Park County continues to be rising at a fairly alarming rate. The last update from Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin laid it out in fairly simple numbers: 32 lab confirmed cases (with 8 new cases in 48 hours) plus 5 probable cases minus 7 recovered equals 30 active cases. No hospitalizations and no deaths at this point.

COVID-19 is seeing a resurgence nationwide, and is now the leading cause of death in the nation. As the virus is better understood, a more extensive list of possible symptoms is being complied. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus and include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

Experts all agree – the simplest way to protect yourself and our community is to continue wearing a mask in public.

To quote Dr. Billin directly for an update, quote: “The recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Park County have largely been among the young and healthy. This mirrors the trend currently seen across Wyoming and in some parts of the US. This is because as restrictions are relaxed, the young and healthy are venturing out to gatherings often without masks or social distancing. We have not seen an increase in hospitalizations and death yet because the young and healthy are at minimal risk for this. Increased hospitalizations are expected to lag a week behind and increased deaths lag a couple of weeks behind increased cases state-wide – after the young and health have passed it on to those at risk,” unquote.